Mainstreaming connected 15-minutes neighbourhoods

AI Quick Summary

Sugar Cup addresses urban disconnection by fostering hyperlocal, circular communities. Through a digital platform, neighbors within a 1 km radius (15-minutes walking distance) can share goods, offer help, and connect with local businesses and initiatives. The project combats anonymity, waste, and long commutes by revitalizing local engagement and promoting resource sharing. During the Booster, we aim at creating a plan on how to scale Sugar Cup to new neighborhoods, enhance platform usability through user feedback, and increase visibility via strategic partnerships. Ultimately, Sugar Cup seeks to mainstream sustainable, community-driven living in 15 minutes neighbourhoods. What fundamental problem are you addressing? What systemic problem hypotheses are the starting point for your mainstreaming approach? Urban living has redefined how we interact with our environment and each other. In cities, residents often live at greater distances from the services and people they rely on, leading to fragmented communities. Unlike smaller towns, urban neighborhoods frequently lack strong social ties. People work far from where they live, leading to anonymity and a weakening sense of place.At the core, Sugar Cup (https://www.sugarcup.ch) addresses three interconnected systemic issues:Social DisconnectionUrban life often isolates individuals from their immediate community. Most residents don’t know their neighbors. This weakens social bonds and limits the informal exchange of help and resources that strengthen community resilience.Local Initiatives lack of visibilitySmall, neighborhood-based businesses and initiatives often go unnoticed by the very people living nearby. Without the resources for widespread promotion, these local actors struggle to gain traction—despite offering services and products that could meet nearby residents' needs more sustainably.Unsustainable Consumption and WasteIn our fast-paced urban environments, usable items are frequently discarded simply because there’s no easy way to circulate them locally. This fuels unnecessary consumption and waste, even though many of these goods could fulfill needs within the community if people knew they existed.These patterns contribute to a society where even simple needs are met by traveling long distances, further contributing to environmental degradation and weakening community ties. Hyperlocal initiatives like Sugar Cup are often seen as unscalable, but we believe that their uniqueness is their strength—and that with the right approach, their impact can be replicated without losing authenticity.Which habits do you want to change or mainstream, and through which approach?Sugar Cup aims to shift urban living habits by promoting a circular economy and stronger community engagement—hyperlocally, within a 1 km radius.We want to:Reduce anonymity and reconnect people with their neighborhoods.Encourage local action to address shared challenges, fostering participatory culture.Support small businesses and associations by increasing their visibility and community engagement.Mainstream circular behaviors such as sharing, lending, donating, and reusing items instead of buying new.Our approach is a digital platform designed to bring neighbors together—an online meeting point that enables real-world interaction. Through Sugar Cup, users can find help, offer support, share goods, promote events, and discover local initiatives. The platform is free and flexible, allowing each neighborhood to shape its own version of community interaction.Who will benefit from mainstreaming and how?Initially, residents of Zurich will benefit the most. Sugar Cup fosters vibrant neighborhood life—supporting local consumption, reducing commuting, and enhancing social cohesion. Over time, this model could scale organically to other cities, creating a broader systemic shift.Direct beneficiaries include:Local residents, who gain access to a trusted network for mutual support.Small businesses and NGOs, who get increased visibility and engagement.City stakeholders, who can leverage Sugar Cup for participatory urban planning and circularity goals.Which people/organizations are in your team and what is their role? Sugar Cup is powered by a committed volunteer team:Sarah, Christian, Roy, and Renata – Core team members responsible for platform development, community engagement, and strategic planning.Martha (Academia) – Head Sustainability and Circular Innovation at the Fernfachhochschule Schweiz (FFHS). Advisor contributing research insights on social innovation and sustainability.We could collaborate with:City departments we have contact with people working at UGZ and Tiefbauamt (Georg Hafner, Jakob Kisner, Diana Celi).Urban projects such as Quartierblöcke Aussersihl & Unterstrass (https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/planen-und-bauen/projekte-und-ausschreibungen/strassen-freiraum/in-planung/quartierbloecke.html ), Schlachthofareal-Projekt https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/planen-und-bauen/projekte-und-ausschreibungen/gebiete-areale/schlachthofareal.html#das_schlachthof-arealentwickeltsichweiter , and Pilotprojekt Netto Null Binz (https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/aktuell/medienmitteilungen/2023/07/230705a1.html). Sugar Cup is ideally positioned to support the Binz project by fostering self-organization, communication, and participation among residents through its platform.Has the idea (or variants) already been tested? If so, with what findings?Yes. Sugar Cup was founded in Zurich as a non-profit association. Its platform enables residents to interact through offering help (e.g., babysitting, shopping for elderly), sharing or donating items (e.g., furniture, electronics), posting local events, and more.With over 2,000 users—800+ in Kreis 9 alone—the platform has seen regular usage, especially for sharing goods and promoting neighborhood events. Early findings confirm that Sugar Cup fosters local connectedness and supports a grassroots circular economy.The name “Sugar Cup” evokes the nostalgic gesture of borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbor—a symbol of trust, support, and shared community life.Watch our explainer video here: https://youtu.be/lyKCwjCGIogWhat would you like to work on during the booster? What do you hope to have achieved by the end of it?Our primary objective during the booster is to develop a robust concept and strategy to mainstream Sugar Cup’s model of circular, connected neighborhoods.Since our launch in November 2021, user growth has been steady but has recently plateaued. We aim to use the booster to a) revitalize platform engagement and expand Sugar Cup to new neighborhoods, and b) develop a data-informed roadmap for growth and user activation.Key activities planned:User Survey: Gather insights from current users on platform strengths, weaknesses, and desired features.Community Workshops: Validate interest in other neighborhoods (e.g., Idaplatz, Binz) by engaging residents in workshops to understand local needs.Event Engagement: Pilot marketing activities at events like Idaplatzfest to increase visibility and attract new users.By the end of the booster, we aim to:Understand how different communities interact with hyperlocal platforms.Improve the Sugar Cup platform based on user feedback.Develop a playbook for scaling Sugar Cup to new neighborhoods.What do you hope for from the booster?We see the booster as a catalyst to build connections and credibility. Specifically, we aim to:Partner with local actors: Establish relationships with neighborhood associations (Quartiervereine), local business networks, and community projects.Engage with public sector projects: Collaborate with initiatives such as Quartierblöcke and Pilotquartier Netto Null to test Sugar Cup in broader urban strategies.Enhance visibility and trust: Boost Sugar Cup’s profile among potential users and funders through participation in public events and targeted communication.BudgetFor the elaboration of this project, we have drafted this budget, of CHF 16'000.- with these details:5'500 - Survey design, contact with stakeholders, survey application, analysis of results, elaboration of a playbook, vouchers for external advisors2'000 - Workshops in new neighbourhoods3'000 - Marketing design (flyers, banners) and activities, like participation at Idaplatzfest and other events5'500 - Prototyping the proposals identified through the survey

Project Idea Metadata

• Project Idea Name: Mainstreaming connected 15-minutes neighbourhoods
• Date: 5/25/2025 2:03:03 PM
• Administrators:

Project Idea Description

What fundamental problem are you addressing? What systemic problem hypotheses are the starting point for your mainstreaming approach? 

Urban living has redefined how we interact with our environment and each other. In cities, residents often live at greater distances from the services and people they rely on, leading to fragmented communities. Unlike smaller towns, urban neighborhoods frequently lack strong social ties. People work far from where they live, leading to anonymity and a weakening sense of place.

At the core, Sugar Cup (https://www.sugarcup.ch) addresses three interconnected systemic issues:

• Social Disconnection

Urban life often isolates individuals from their immediate community. Most residents don’t know their neighbors. This weakens social bonds and limits the informal exchange of help and resources that strengthen community resilience.

• Local Initiatives lack of visibility

Small, neighborhood-based businesses and initiatives often go unnoticed by the very people living nearby. Without the resources for widespread promotion, these local actors struggle to gain traction—despite offering services and products that could meet nearby residents' needs more sustainably.

• Unsustainable Consumption and Waste

In our fast-paced urban environments, usable items are frequently discarded simply because there’s no easy way to circulate them locally. This fuels unnecessary consumption and waste, even though many of these goods could fulfill needs within the community if people knew they existed.

These patterns contribute to a society where even simple needs are met by traveling long distances, further contributing to environmental degradation and weakening community ties. Hyperlocal initiatives like Sugar Cup are often seen as unscalable, but we believe that their uniqueness is their strength—and that with the right approach, their impact can be replicated without losing authenticity.

Which habits do you want to change or mainstream, and through which approach?

Sugar Cup aims to shift urban living habits by promoting a circular economy and stronger community engagement—hyperlocally, within a 1 km radius.

We want to:

• Reduce anonymity and reconnect people with their neighborhoods.
• Encourage local action to address shared challenges, fostering participatory culture.
• Support small businesses and associations by increasing their visibility and community engagement.
• Mainstream circular behaviors such as sharing, lending, donating, and reusing items instead of buying new.

Our approach is a digital platform designed to bring neighbors together—an online meeting point that enables real-world interaction. Through Sugar Cup, users can find help, offer support, share goods, promote events, and discover local initiatives. The platform is free and flexible, allowing each neighborhood to shape its own version of community interaction.

Who will benefit from mainstreaming and how?

Initially, residents of Zurich will benefit the most. Sugar Cup fosters vibrant neighborhood life—supporting local consumption, reducing commuting, and enhancing social cohesion. Over time, this model could scale organically to other cities, creating a broader systemic shift.

Direct beneficiaries include:

• Local residents, who gain access to a trusted network for mutual support.
• Small businesses and NGOs, who get increased visibility and engagement.
• City stakeholders, who can leverage Sugar Cup for participatory urban planning and circularity goals.

Which people/organizations are in your team and what is their role?

Sugar Cup is powered by a committed volunteer team:

• Sarah, Christian, Roy, and Renata – Core team members responsible for platform development, community engagement, and strategic planning.
• Martha (Academia) – Head Sustainability and Circular Innovation at the Fernfachhochschule Schweiz (FFHS). Advisor contributing research insights on social innovation and sustainability.

We could collaborate with:

• City departments we have contact with people working at UGZ and Tiefbauamt (Georg Hafner, Jakob Kisner, Diana Celi).
• Urban projects such as Quartierblöcke Aussersihl & Unterstrass (https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/planen-und-bauen/projekte-und-ausschreibungen/strassen-freiraum/in-planung/quartierbloecke.html ), Schlachthofareal-Projekt https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/planen-und-bauen/projekte-und-ausschreibungen/gebiete-areale/schlachthofareal.html#das_schlachthof-arealentwickeltsichweiter , and Pilotprojekt Netto Null Binz (https://www.stadt-zuerich.ch/de/aktuell/medienmitteilungen/2023/07/230705a1.html).

Sugar Cup is ideally positioned to support the Binz project by fostering self-organization, communication, and participation among residents through its platform.

Has the idea (or variants) already been tested? If so, with what findings?

Yes. Sugar Cup was founded in Zurich as a non-profit association. Its platform enables residents to interact through offering help (e.g., babysitting, shopping for elderly), sharing or donating items (e.g., furniture, electronics), posting local events, and more.

With over 2,000 users—800+ in Kreis 9 alone—the platform has seen regular usage, especially for sharing goods and promoting neighborhood events. Early findings confirm that Sugar Cup fosters local connectedness and supports a grassroots circular economy.

The name “Sugar Cup” evokes the nostalgic gesture of borrowing a cup of sugar from a neighbor—a symbol of trust, support, and shared community life.

Watch our explainer video here: https://youtu.be/lyKCwjCGIog

What would you like to work on during the booster? What do you hope to have achieved by the end of it?

Our primary objective during the booster is to develop a robust concept and strategy to mainstream Sugar Cup’s model of circular, connected neighborhoods.

Since our launch in November 2021, user growth has been steady but has recently plateaued. We aim to use the booster to a) revitalize platform engagement and expand Sugar Cup to new neighborhoods, and b) develop a data-informed roadmap for growth and user activation.

Key activities planned:

• User Survey: Gather insights from current users on platform strengths, weaknesses, and desired features.
• Community Workshops: Validate interest in other neighborhoods (e.g., Idaplatz, Binz) by engaging residents in workshops to understand local needs.
• Event Engagement: Pilot marketing activities at events like Idaplatzfest to increase visibility and attract new users.

By the end of the booster, we aim to:

• Understand how different communities interact with hyperlocal platforms.
• Improve the Sugar Cup platform based on user feedback.
• Develop a playbook for scaling Sugar Cup to new neighborhoods.

What do you hope for from the booster?

We see the booster as a catalyst to build connections and credibility. Specifically, we aim to:

• Partner with local actors: Establish relationships with neighborhood associations (Quartiervereine), local business networks, and community projects.
• Engage with public sector projects: Collaborate with initiatives such as Quartierblöcke and Pilotquartier Netto Null to test Sugar Cup in broader urban strategies.
• Enhance visibility and trust: Boost Sugar Cup’s profile among potential users and funders through participation in public events and targeted communication.

Budget

For the elaboration of this project, we have drafted this budget, of CHF 16'000.- with these details:

• 5'500 - Survey design, contact with stakeholders, survey application, analysis of results, elaboration of a playbook, vouchers for external advisors
• 2'000 - Workshops in new neighbourhoods
• 3'000 - Marketing design (flyers, banners) and activities, like participation at Idaplatzfest and other events
• 5'500 - Prototyping the proposals identified through the survey

Sugar Cup addresses urban disconnection by fostering hyperlocal, circular communities. Through a digital platform, neighbors within a 1 km radius (15-minutes walking distance) can share goods, offer help, and connect with local businesses and initiatives. The project combats anonymity, waste, and long commutes by revitalizing local engagement and promoting resource sharing. During the Booster, we aim at creating a plan on how to scale Sugar Cup to new neighborhoods, enhance platform usability through user feedback, and increase visibility via strategic partnerships. Ultimately, Sugar Cup seeks to mainstream sustainable, community-driven living in 15 minutes neighbourhoods.